Hello guys

This is maybe not the right forum for my problem, but I'm not sure.
I'm building the LCM3 from Italeri for a Rhine crossing diorama. I know that the color of the landing craft during the Rhine crossing was olivedrab. But what was with the lower part of the boat? Was it also OD or was it red like the landing crafts at D-Day?
Thanks for your help.

pzgren

I don't know either, but I would hardly think they would have time to paint the bottom another color, that they would just have them to drop in, and pull out, to not worry about anti fouling paint, like the Navy has them.

Even with that other paint, they still grew alga on the bottoms of the boats, it only slows the process just a tiny bit. I had a wooden boat, with copper anti fouling paint, and if I didn't have it taken out a few times in the summer, it would grow a green mop on the bottom, in just a few months.
Kerry

First, welcome to the big "A" Adrian.

I am next to positive that the bottoms where left red. Looking at the pic below, you can clearly see that the bottom hull is darker than that of the OD of the upper.

Ken,
thanks for the picture. Thats what I was looking for. So I will paint my LCM3 in OD and red.

I'm not realy a new member at Armorama. I'm a member here since Feb. 2004, but my account was deleted. So I had me to register new.

pzgren

I wasn't there, so I can't be certain about this, but ...

Many of the pictures I have show the LCM's with the upper hull darker than the below-waterline hull, in fact the below-waterline hull is very light. This may be a black-white photo-film color characteristic.

If you can get ahold of the Time-Life WW2 Series, the "Across the Rhine" volume, see page 10.

It has a pic of sailors repainting their LCM. The basic LCM appear as I have mentioned - the top is darker than a light colored bottom -- basically same as they looked being taken out of water in other pix.

But, the OD they are brush-painting on is darker than either original color and goes all the way down the side, covering over any below waterline paint. In fact one sailor appears to be painting under the hull.

Being Army myself, I am quite sure someone got all paranoid about red stuff showing & ordered everything to be painted -- you know, if it moves police it up, if it doesn't paint it ....

HTH,
John

John,
is it possible that you can scan the pictures for me? I wanted to buy the book "Across the Rhine", but it isn't available in Switzerland.

pzgren

OK, but I'll need a couple days -- I have some other stuff going on. I'll post 'em here, in this thread, so others can see.

John

John, thanks for the info. As soon as I read the ref. pic from the Time Life series, I rang a friend who has same books, and he confirmed. I was hoping he would do a scan for me, but alas, I too will have to wait.

With this info and the one from me above, perhaps both painted and unpainted water lines were used.
It's interesting to note that the USN markings were left on this one.

I tried to find pictures of them, but all I ever found was black and white photos, and with them being in the water, I couldn't tell if that was a paint line, or the water line, with the darker shade being on the bottom.

Cause that OD will appear darker when wet to, but if they left the Navy markings on them, they might of just left the bottoms untouched, but I would think that red sure would stick out, against the OD, way more then it did with the gray.

Now if somebody can find a color photo, that will tell the truth, and clear up the guess work.
Kerry

OK guys, here they are -- and they are big because when I tried to shrink 'em they got all cruddy.

Anyway, here is what I think. The LCM's sailed up/down various canals/rivers to pick-up points -- at this time they were in USN colors.
They were picked from the water & placed on DW for the trip to the Rhine, or some tributary thereof where they went back in the water.
At some point during the trip from shore to shore on the DW, they were repainted OD -- so you could show the LCM on a DW in USN colors or OD & be correct.

Anyway, to support my "not sure about red" comments from earlier, the first two pix show LCM on DW & you can see the bottom appears lighter than the side, so maybe it is just old scraped up & cruddy botton, who knows. I have not seen any neat pretty waterlines though.





Now here are two Jolly Tars painting away at their LCM. Note again, the original color, seeming lack of red. And note how they are painiting down the whole side & even under the hull. Also note the lack of an airbrush, sanding sealer, body putty, etc, so one need not be too concerned with neatness here.



And lastly, this would appear to be a repainted LCM on a DW -- and I say that it is repainted only because it appears to be one solid color.




These pix are in my Gallery, Heavy Haulers Campaign, where I'm working my LCM on a DW project.

Hope all this helps. I've enjoyed the question & the discussion.

John

PS: Please note I'm not using words like "always", "never", etc -- I wasn't there & I'm not an expert. I suspect that if we could find pictures of every LCM hauled via DW, we would find many variations. But the photos I have, to include some not displayed above, are consistent with those displayed above.

John
Thanks for the pictures. They are verry helpfull to me.